No Mother to Guide Her with Parisian Nights

'Sip' continues to prove itself a sound investment; the beauty of only having 3 ingredients per cocktail, one of which is guaranteed to be gin is that if you, like me, keep bitters, Vermouth, and a couple of liqueurs around the house you're soon in business. This is perfect for half past seven on a Sunday night when a modest drink seems like a very good idea.

The drink in question is 'Parisian Nights'. "Created in 1920's Paris for stage and silent screen star Yvonne Arnaud", it seems to be more frequently known as the Arnaud (including in Sipsmith's own website). The recipe itself is equal parts gin, dry vermouth, and crème de cassis - I won't give specific quantities because I generally prefer my drinks smaller than modern recipes suggest they be. Badically make as much, or little, as it takes to strike a balance between sensible and frivolous.

Pour everything into a mixing glass, stir well with ice, strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with an orange twist - or a blackberry if in season and to hand. If you have Crème de mure that would work beautifully too.

The Cassis makes this a fruity crowd pleaser with a definite sweetness to it (you could easily dial back the cassis if you want something drier) but a solid alcoholic punch as well. All of this puts me in mind of Anita Loos and her most famous creation, Lorelei Lee from 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'. But Anita Loos was responsible for far more than Lorelei (her career is really interesting, she's well worth looking up).

'No Mother to Guide Her' is another comic masterpiece, this one centred around Hollywood and an actress called Viola Lake. Something like a Parisian Night seems exactly the sort of thing Viola (or Lorelei) would drink. It looks like 'No Mother to Guide Her' is currently out of print, but the Prion humour classics edition is available cheaply online and is absolutely worth reading.